I(eye)-SCREEN: A real-world AI-based infrastructure for screening and prediction of progression in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) providing accessible shared care

Introduction

The aim of I(eye)-Screen is to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic decision support system for screening and monitoring of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at an early stage before vision loss occurs. Late AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in individuals over 50 years, with 110 million individuals at risk.

Consortium and Collaboration

The multidisciplinary consortium brings together:

• A network of clinical retina experts
• Computer scientists working at the cutting edge of AI development
• An infrastructure of community-based opticians/optometrists
• An SME experienced in digital platform performance

This collaboration aims to develop innovative and trustworthy AI tools for broad, real-time AMD screening and monitoring via a cloud-based infrastructure with unlimited access.

Methodology

To achieve the ambitious goal of finding the needle in the haystack in early AMD, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is used. This high-resolution, effortless imaging modality provides a detailed characterization of the retina in extensive volumetric scans.

AI Development

Breakthrough AI approaches for medical imaging will be developed to:

1. Enable data-efficient and robust learning from sparse longitudinal OCT data
2. Systematically analyze dense data volumes
3. Identify (sub)clinical markers of disease activity

Clinical Implementation

Clinical sites throughout Europe will collect a longitudinal cohort serving for calibrating and fine-tuning algorithms using the high-end OCT device available at eye clinics.

Technology Transfer

Innovative AI technology will then be created to transfer the detection and monitoring tools to low-cost devices used in nearby opticians/optometrists' offices.

Regulatory Context

The timing of the project perfectly fits the recent regulatory approval of the first therapy to halt progression of the major atrophic type of AMD.

Conclusion

The resulting AI-based shared care strategy offers unrestricted accessibility to vision-maintaining care with the greatest health equity and provides a role model for screening for systemic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases reflecting retinal biomarkers.